Louise Erdrich
HarperCollins (2008)
ISBN 9780060297879
Reviewed by Sara McGinn (age 9) for Reader Views (12/08)
“The Porcupine Year” by Louise Erdrich is a story about an Indian girl called “Omaykayas,” which means Little Frog. Omaykayas is a girl from the Objibwe tribe. She and the rest of her family were exiled from their original home on the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. She has many adventures! She and her brother were swept off-course when her brother was hunting by canoe. They soon landed on the other side of the island where they met a porcupine. That porcupine became her brother’s medicine animal. On their way back to Omaykayas’s family, she and her brother saw a memegwesi, which is a little person that only kids can see!
Also, Omaykayas once tricked an eagle and took two of its feathers! Because of this experience her dad dreamed her new name, Ogimabinesikwe or “Leading Thunderbird Woman.” Later, she and her family were on their way to see Omaykayas’s aunt, uncle and cousins when their uncle and two other men robbed them! It was really hard for them after that happened. Soon after, a tribe woman named Old Tallow died while killing a bear. Omaykayas was really close to Old Tallow so it was really hard for her.
This book was action-packed and wonderful! The author did a terrific job making me feel like I was in the book as one of Omaykayas’s friends! My favorite part in this book is when Omaykayas and her brother find the porcupine. He tries to knock it off a tree but instead he gets quills all over his face! It was really funny! I also liked the Indian stories and I learned a lot of Ojibwe words. They are really cool! I would change nothing in this book because it rocked!!!
“The Porcupine Year” by Louise Erdrich is for 8 to 12-year-olds, which I think is perfect. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends!
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